Dream's Reality
by L.M. Avalon
Summary: Kagome discusses a crazy dream she had about the Feudal Era. AU. Oneshot.


Pretty much the first story I wrote for _Inuyasha_. Enjoy!

Edited (very lightly): 3/2/2012

Disclaimer: I do not own _Inuyasha._

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Dream's Reality

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"…And then, just when I was about to purify Naraku, I woke up!" Kagome finished, staring bemusedly up at the ceiling. She was stretched out on a couch at the local shrink's, and the entire situation felt as surreal as her dream the night before had.

The young redheaded doctor (who Kagome was pretty sure she'd met before), Dr. Karan Devas, just nodded from her position in the nearby armchair. "Interesting, interesting," she mumbled while scribbling on her tiny pad of paper.

Kagome had the sneaking suspicion that all that was on that pad of paper were doodles.

"I think it might have something to do with all the fairytales Grandfather told me before bed when I was little," Kagome suggested. Really, she was trying not to think of all the other more worthwhile things she could be doing. "We live at the Sunset Shrine up the street, just like in my dream."

That morning when the girl had relayed her dream to her school friends, they had nagged her all day to go to a (cheap) psychiatrist to get her dream analyzed. Kagome had _reluctantly_ agreed… but only after Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi had spent hours chattering about it, threatening to gossip about the more embarrassing parts if Kagome didn't do as asked.

"Tell me again who each person was," Dr. Devas ordered as if Kagome hadn't just spent the last half hour picking apart her dream all on her own. Why was she paying for this again? It was a ridiculous waste of money, she thought bitterly. Then again, she was already there.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome tried to pick out the more important people, the ones who reappeared most often in her dream that she could connect to _someone_ in 'real life.'

"Well, let's see—Naraku was my first boyfriend back in my first year of high school. He wasn't very nice. Kagura and Kanna are his sisters. He was always so controlling with them. Kagura and I aren't really friends, but we don't fight every time we run into each other either." She hesitated here, wondering if she should keep going as well as how much detail she was supposed to go into.

True, psychiatrists couldn't repeat what they heard in session due to privacy laws, but that didn't make Kagome feel any more secure about spilling her guts to a complete stranger.

Carefully, she thought out the next part before continuing. "Kouga was my second, and only other, ex-boyfriend. He was too possessive, but now she's dating Ayame. It works, because she's a little over-possessive of him, too. We three are pretty good friends and don't have too many problems with one other." Honestly, she and Kouga had become better friends since the break-up. Ayame hadn't exactly been her favorite person at first, but they got along fine now.

Her family was a lot easier to explain, and Kagome felt warmth blooming in her stomach at the thought of them.

"Just like in my dream, I have a mother and paternal grandfather who live with me and a younger brother named Souta. There's also Shippou, who's a foster child we're taking care of, but I plan to adopt him after I graduate from high school."

"But you're only eighteen!" the doctor interrupted, looking almost scandalized—especially considering she probably heard people confess to murders and things all the time. Well, that might be pushing it, but Kagome wouldn't have been surprised. (She relied on movies a bit too much on what being a shrink was like.)

"Yeah, I know, but Shippou's parents were killed in a car accident last year, and he doesn't want anyone else to take him in. Our families were really close, so we're the closest thing he has now," Kagome explained quickly. The comfortable feeling that came with talking about her family was fading fast, and she had to try not to close up. "Anyway, Sango is my best friend. She stands up for everyone who can't stand up for themselves. Miroku is her new boyfriend. They liked each other for a long time before I finally got them together, which took a lot of scheming. They are _way_ too stubborn."

"From what you've told me so far, your friends and their dream-selves are very similar. These roles so far need little interpreting," Dr. Devas mumbled unhelpfully before motioning for Kagome to continue.

"Kirara is Sango's kitten, and Kohaku is Sango's little brother. He's so sweet! He even has a little girlfriend—Rin, the fifteen year old who lives next door." Kagome paused, scrambling to think of who she hadn't mentioned yet. " Goshinki is Naraku's cousin. Big and ugly and he tries to act like he knows everything. Hakkaku and Ginta, just like in the dream, are Kouga's best friends. They go with him practically everywhere."

There was clearly a gaping hole in Kagome's explanation.

"Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru?" the shrink prodded, pushing Kagome in the right direction.

"Well, Inuyasha and I are dating now. He moved here not too long ago with his brother. When he first got here, he became friends with my cousin Kikyou, who lived with us while she went to school. They're both twenty years old now and had a lot in common back then. Kikyou moved away a few months ago, but Inuyasha still came over to our house to hang out with me," Kagome explained.

"And they're humans, right?" the doctor joked in a flat voice. "The brothers, I mean. You don't really think they're _demons_, do you?"

Kagome did not enjoy the not-so-subtle jab. "Of course they're human. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru both have ridiculously long hair and eyes that are both golden brown, but their hair is black. Sesshoumaru—Sesshoumaru had to grow up fast, from what I understand. When their dad and Inuyasha's mom, Seshsoumaru's stepmom, died in a car crash when Sesshoumaru was a teenager, he had to run the household and raise his half-brother. We don't really get along, but I did hear that he started dating Kagura last month."

"I see," Dr. Devas mumbled. "I think we need to revisit Kikyou. It sounds like she had a very strong presence in your dream."

Okay, now this was a bit more like what Kagome had been expecting when she walked into this office. "We've never been close, not even when we were children or when she was living with us at the shrine. We're just too different. People always compared us—they still do. I know we look alike, I know she's more mature than me, I know she—nevermind. It just… It gets on my nerves sometimes."

Feeling like she was done, Kagome waiting nervously as the woman scribbled a bit more. Finally, the woman set down her notepad before stating the obvious. "You still have hostile feelings toward your first ex-boyfriend, Naraku. You trust your friends greatly, so you rely on them to help you through troubled times."

Kagome had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes; it was all way too obvious. Where were the brilliant insights? Anger bubbled in her chest as she thought about how much money she had splurged on this insane idea. It was an entire month's paycheck, and all because Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi had though the epic dream had some great meaning behind it.

After several seconds of silence, the shrink continued. "You were probably a priestess in your dream because you felt the need to be as helpful as possible. A strong desire to heal others and take care of them drives you in life. The dream took place in the Feudal Era because that time period was greatly troubled, which reflects your current life rather well. The kinds of demons these people were reflected their strengths and weaknesses, as you see them. For example, Kouga was a wolf because of his possessive nature."

With a smile, Kagome shot up on the couch. Now _this_ was more like it!

"Your boyfriend was a half-demon because he must act and be treated like an outcast. His three sides represent the different ways you see him—as _human_when he shows that he can be vulnerable and emotional; as _full demon_ when he overlooks your needs and lashes out in anger or confusion; and as a _half-demon_ when he acts like himself, which is a combination of the former two sides."

"That sounds about right," Kagome admitted before glancing at her watch. Her blue-gray eyes widened at the time. "I'm sorry, but I have to get going! Anything else?"

Dr. Devas glanced up and gave the girl a practiced smile. "No, that's all. Please pay at the desk and then have a safe trip home. Thank you, that dream was very… interesting."

Kagome smiled and thanked the woman again, gathering up her things in her arms, haphazardly dumping them into her oversized yellow backpack. After paying the receptionist, she stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for the ground floor—which was only about forty floors below the shrink's office. Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi were waiting for her at the WacDonald's around the corner to hear all about her visit.

The elevator wasn't empty. There was already an older woman, probably in her 60s, aboard. She looked oddly familiar, but Kagome couldn't quite figure out why. Surreptitiously, she watched the woman out of the corner of her eyes, noting her white blouse and long red skirt. Unable to explain it, Kagome felt like she _knew_ this woman. It was a similar feeling to waking up that morning and realizing that all the people in her dream were people from her real life, but this time, it felt backwards somehow.

When the older woman turned to Kagome, she revealed an eye-patch. "Good afternoon," she greeted in a kind and warm voice, her one good eyes sparkling with intelligence and friendliness.

"Thanks! You, too," Kagome replied cheerfully. She pushed away the feeling nagging at the back of her mind.

"Kaede," the woman introduced herself.

"Kagome," the girl answered, holding her hand out.

"Visiting someone in the building?" Kaede questioned, naturally curious.

Feeling embarrassed, Kagome nodded. "Just visiting the shr—er—I mean psychologist. My friends dared me to so I…" Kagome trailed off, feeling her cheeks warm with a blush. She scolded herself for revealing such a personal thing to a complete stranger. Before she could get too worked up over it and wish for the floor to open up and swallow her whole, a small _ding_interrupted her thoughts.

Chuckling, Kaede stepped off on the fifth floor as soon as the heavy metal doors slid open. "Don't worry about it. I hope we meet again, Kagome. You seem like a wonderful person."

Kagome blushed lightly at the compliment. "I hope we meet again soon, too. I—I actually think I know you from somewhere," she admitted before snapping her mouth shut.

"We have," Kaede said mysteriously just as the doors closed between the two. The last thing Kagome saw was a large milky-pink pearl hanging on a chain around Kaede's neck.

_Why does that jewel seem so familiar?_ Kagome wondered. _And just what did she mean by that?_ She shook her head firmly, telling herself that she shouldn't get worked up over something that was obviously not a big deal. …Hopefully. When she reached the busy streets of Tokyo, she let herself forget everything.

Kaede watched the young woman leave from a window on the fifth floor. "Thank you, Kagome. You really are a good-hearted girl," she whispered before turning back to the boardroom full of businessmen. As she began the meeting, she added silently, _We'll meet again, I'm sure of it. Even if you aren't._

Ever so subtly, the Shikon no Tama hanging around her neck shone just a bit brighter.


End file.
